LAS VEGAS – Val Woodburn “didn’t think twice” when he received a call to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290 on just five days’ notice.
Woodburn (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who was scheduled to compete on the upcoming season of Dana White’s Contender Series, was asked to fill in for injured Tresean Gore against highly touted prospect Nickal (4-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The middleweight bout opens the pay-per-view main card, which follows prelims on ABC, ESPN and ESPN+.
According to Woodburn, his weight was between 206 and 211 pounds when the UFC offered him the fight. He ran the situation past his team, and they collectively agreed to accept. One day later, he was in Las Vegas in the thick of fight week.
